After several fun-filled days visiting the lively city of Buenos Aires, my son and I departed the renowned Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt and, in just 15 short minutes, we arrived at the Aeroparque Jorge Newberry. Named for the pioneer of Argentine aviation, this airfield is located along the Rio de la Plata in the Palermo neighborhood, less than 2 miles northeast of downtown. It serves as the main airport for the nation’s domestic flights and the headquarters and hub city for the national flag carrier and largest airline, Aerolineas Argentinas. The company has 56 aircraft in its fleet serving 58 domestic and international destinations. They fly B737-800s domestically and regionally and also have five B737 MAX 8 aircraft in the fleet which are, of course, currently grounded. The wide body A330-200s and A340-300s are flown on their intercontinental and transoceanic routes. The airline’s been run by the Argentine Government since late 2008 and is now a member of the SkyTeam Alliance led by Delta Airlines.
We’d scheduled a late-morning flight departing Buenos Aires up to Iguazu Falls. The national carrier’s business class cabin featured 8 recliner seats in 2 rows, each with a 2x2 configuration. Cabin service included a small snack along with beverages of choice. The seats themselves were about 18” wide with a 36” pitch and comfortable enough for our journey. It was a relatively brief trip with a travel time of one hour and 50 minutes to cover the roughly 670 miles separating the 2 airports. Our flight landed at the single-runway Cataratas del Iguazu Airport on time shortly after 1:00pm.
From there, we proceeded directly to the 5-star Sheraton Iguazu Resort & Spa. It's the only hotel located inside Iguazu National Park, and was not quite 7 miles from the airport. The hotel (now known as the Gran Melia) opened its doors in 1978 but has since been expanded and remodeled several times, the most recent being in 2017 at a cost of $20 million. An upgrade to a one-bedroom suite was waiting for us on arrival. One of the perks of holding a United Presidential Plus Card from Chase is access to their Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection which includes an upgrade to the next available room category, if available at check-in. Our 560 square-foot space featured a nice-sized balcony, an in-room safe and minibar as well as a sitting area with sofa, chairs, a good-sized work desk and large, 65” flat screen TV. We also got to enjoy 270-thread count cotton bedding. The bathroom was equipped with double sinks, a bathtub, separate shower and exclusive amenities from Yerba Mate.The Executive Lounge offered buffet breakfast and evening cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, in addition to butler service, if desired. We were treated to a fine bottle of Argentine Malbec and some canapés as a welcome gift (another benefit of card membership) shortly after checking-in to the suite. That was a very nice touch.
The next day was devoted to visiting the world-famous Iguazu National Park. It covers an area of 261 square miles of subtropical rainforest in the country’s northeastern Missions Province on the border with Brazil. The park is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year from 8:00am to 6:00pm. You’ll need to show an ID card or your passport at the ticket kiosk for entry. Your nationality determines how much you’re charged. Argentine nationals and MERCOSUR residents (those from Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela) pay reduced fees while others, including US citizens, are charged AR$800, which is only about US$10.56 at current exchange rates. Once we purchased our tickets, we boarded an open-air train for a short ride which took us to the beginning of the walking trail.
Along the way towards the waterfalls, we soon came to appreciate the native flora and fauna in the park, located in one of the most diverse and striking habitats in all of South America. There are more than 2,000 species of luxuriant ferns, orchids and gigantic trees displaying a wide variety of climbing plants that provide fruits and attract the likes of monkeys and deer. The park also boasts some 450 species of birds to be enjoyed, including magpies, parrots, toucans and others. Any number of mammals are sheltered in this ecosystem too such as giant anteaters and tapirs which serve as prey for the large cats, including jaguars, that call the park home. Countless varieties of insects have been found here as well an abundance of colorful butterflies. The still waters between the falls are also patrolled by crocodiles, turtles and herons which feed on the bounty of small fish. The walking trail was very much like visiting a zoo, an arboretum and a botanical garden - all in one place at one time!
The park is located on the Iguazu River. Numerous rocky and wooded islands on the edge of the encampment over which the river plunges divide the falls into some 275 separate waterfalls, making this the largest waterfall system in the world. We initially observed the river along the trail from a number of bridges but those waters were at first so still. Before too long though, ripples appeared as the current picked up rather swiftly and we could hear what sounded like a soft but distinct roar in the distance. Walking further along the trail, we came upon our first waterfall and I remember being so excited. Yet as we walked even farther, each twist in the trail revealed a higher, louder and more amazing waterfall than the one before. There were also so many large rainbows to enjoy and these wondrous views were unobstructed since the fencing was low-lying. But this was nothing compared with what lay ahead.
We soon came upon the most monumental waterfall of all to be found in this park.The Devil’s Throat. It's located along one of the widest stretches of river and forms the largest water “curtain” in all of Iguazu Falls. These waters drop more than 262 feet into a white, creamy-looking pool that obscures the bottom because the powerful water flow creates such a permanent mist. The "curtain" actually contains 14 falls in total and is shaped like a horseshoe. I must admit these falls are one of the most spectacular sights I've ever seen (and heard)! But I’m not alone. Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited the falls in 1944 and is said to have exclaimed “Poor Niagara.” While those US waterfalls are surely stunning, Mrs. Roosevelt couldn’t help but recognize how much bigger and more commanding were the Argentine falls. By comparison, Iguazu is 1.7 miles wide while Niagara is only 0.70 miles wide and Iguazu is also 100 feet taller. They were deservedly declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the mid-1980s. But back to our trip. Wearing our bathing suits and t-shirts to the park that day came in handy when we later viewed the giant falls by speedboat traveling directly underneath them. What a rush! The slickers provided were appreciated but we got drenched anyway which was all part of the fun.
That evening we enjoyed dinner in the Mercado Restaurant back at the Sheraton Iguazu Resort & Spa. The menu was pretty extensive, offering premium cuts of meat, fresh local fish and a number of pasta dishes. It also featured several desserts made with the famous Argentine dulce de leche caramel. After dinner and with a good night’s rest under our belts, we headed out the following morning for the wine country of Mendoza. I’ll tell you all about our visit there in a future post.
Until next time...stay safe.
Very evocative George - I could feel your excitement bursting from the words on the page ... I look forward to the stories about the wine ;-)
Gorgeous pictures and it must have been quite a rush going under and not over the waterfall. Safer too...,